Ammunition



y 1960 m. SEAVEY 2,936,709

AMMUNITION Filed Dec. 16, 1952 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1mg Ill -24 s /l vINVENTOR:

AGENT y 1960 F. R. SEAVEY 2,936,709

AMMUNITION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1952 1mg. GEE

Mg. 7 1mg 9 INVENTOR:

FREDERICK R. SEAVEY BY AGENT United States Patent AMMUNITION FrederickR. Seavey, Alton, 11]., assignor to Olin Mathiason Chemical Corporation,a corporation of Virginia Application December 16, 1952, Serial No.326,211

6 Claims. (Cl. 10244) This invention relates to ammunition and moreparticularly to a novel gun cartridge and a method for making the same.

Shotgun cartridges having cases made from various materials such asmetals, plastics or synthetic resins and papier mac h have beenproposed, heretofore, but do not function properly in a gun so it hasbeen the custom inpractice to make the case from a relatively pliant andresilient laminated paper tube having a metallic head which closes oneend of the tube. The cartridge having a laminated paper tube andmetallic head is not entirely satisfactory, however, because the headthereof is sometimes pulled from the tube by the guns extractionmechanisrn, leaving the tube in the guns chamber. In some instances too,the tube becomes separated from the head by breaking or cutting-off inthe region adjacent the open .end or mouth ofthe head when the cartridgeis V -'fired which often results in failure ofthe guns extractor toremove the entire fired cartridge from the gun chamher. A condition ofthis kind is hazardous as it is possible to insert and fire a'cartridgein a gun without'knowing'thata tube from a fired cartridge is in theguns chamber. This is particularly true with a gun which automaticallyreplaces a fired cartridge case in the guns chamber with anunfired-cartridge from the guns magazine". As a result, serious injuryhas been experienced by shooters who have inadvertently fired acartridge in a' gun obstructed bya tube from a previously firedcartridge. Furthermore, a constant but unsuccessful endeavor has beenmade during the last three or more decades to develop a suitable orimproved and less expensive substitute for the shotgun cartridge casehaving a paper' tube and a metallic head.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel guncartridge devoid of the disadvantages of heretofore known cartridges.'It is another object of this invention to provide an improved cartridgein which the metallic head is eliminated. A further object of thisinvention is to provide a novel and improved cartridge case having theadvantages of the prior paper cartridge case but devoid of thedisadvantages inherent therewith. A'still-further object is to provide amethod for making a novel gun cart'ridge case having a cylindrical paperbody. Another object is to provide an improved and less expensiveshotgun cartridge case. 7

v Other objects will become apparent from the following description andaccompanying drawing in which:

" Figure lis anelevation view, partly in section, of a laminated papertube'shown in conjunction with apparatus suitable for use in one step ofa process embodying this invention; 7 I Figure 2 is a perspective viewof apparatus suitable foruse in another step of such process;

' ,Figure 3 is a fragmentaryiperspective view of alam inated paper tubehaving oneend thereof partially closed in accordance with an embodimentof this invention;

section, apparatus suitable for pressing the end of a tube to impart thecontour of a cartridge head thereto;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view partially in if sectionillustrating the head structure of one embodiment of this invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view, partly in section, illustrating the headof another embodiment of this invention; Figure 7 is an elevation,partly in section, of a loaded cartridge representing an embodiment ofthis invention; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a basewad suitable foran embodiment of this invention; and f Figure 9 is a longitudinal viewin section, of another embodiment of this invention having a plastic theinner wall thereof. I

The foregoing objects and others are accomplished in accordance withthis invention, generally stated, by providing a gun cartridge casehaving a cylindrical body and a head integral therewith, both formedfrom a laminated paper tube. In accordance with the method for making agun cartridge case provided by this invention,

an annular flange is formed in the sidewalls of a cylinhaving aplurality of segments joined by reentrant folds. I The reentrant' foldsand segments preferably fo rm box plaits or inverted box plaits and theterm box plaits I is used herein to include both of these type plaits.The paper tube utilized in this invention is formed by any conventionalrolling method, is preferably convolutely wound, and is of sufficientlength that both the tubular body and head can be formed therefrom. Thecartridge case and particularly the head thereof are preferably coatedor impregnated with a resinous or the like coating composition beforeforming the head or after the head has been formed. .A laminated papertube as used herein and in the appended claims is one such as is formedby winding a sheet of paper about-a mandrel using a suitable adhesive asabinder between the various convolutions of paper. d

In order to better described and to further claritfy this invention, thefollowing is a detail description of embodiments thereof with referenceto the accompanying drawing:

A sheet of conventional type paper is convolutely v wound and theresulting tube is. dried, mechanically sized and burnished andimpregnated with paraflin waxin accordance with conventional practice. Aconventional soya protein water type paste is utilized as the binder inV rolling the tube. The laminated tube is cut prior to, impregnatingwith paraffiu to. a length equal to that re} quir'ed for the body of thecartridge case plus an addij-Q ferred. 1 In forming the cartridge head alaminated paper tube 1 having a conventional wound paper basewad 7positioned therein is placed on a stationary punchfi as shown in Figure1 and a second punch 2 movable relative to punch 6 is inserted in theopposite end of ,tube 1 to a position adjacent the bottom of basewad 7.Punch 2 is'provided with an insert 5 slidably mounted about ,bolt ltlfixed on the body of the punch and is also provided, with an annulardistendable washer orrubber-member 3- about liner on and partiallyembedded in insert 5 and below the punch pressing ring extension 9. Withinsert 5 resting on basewad 7, punch ring 9 is moved into tube 1 tocompress rubber member 3 between parts 9 and 5 of punch 2 and expand itas shown in Figure 1 to form annular bulge or external flange 4 in tube1.

After punch 2 is withdrawn from tube 1 creases 21 are formed in that endportion of tube 1 extending above flange 4 by means of cup-like punch11, shown in Figure 2. Creases 21, as shown in Figure 3 define truncatedtriangular segments 19 and the end of tube 1 is thus converted into thetruncated-conical form shown in Figure 3. Punch 11 is composed of sixblades 13 extendingradially from the periphery of center shaft 17through sleeve 16 which is in turn enclosed in annular housing 12 toform the cup-shaped head of punch 11. Sleeve 16 is composed of sixsubstantially equal parts each forming part of the cup bottom 15integral with the sidewalls thereof. The

end of shaft 17 is flush with bottom 15. The leading edges 14 of bladesor creasing tools 13 are flush at their outer ends with the exposed edge18 of sleeve 16 and slope therefrom at an angle of about 45 degreestowards center shaft 17. The edges of blades 13 thus extendperpendicularly to bottom from the end of shaft 17 until they intersectsloping edge 14.

In succeeding steps of the process, the truncated conical end of tube 1is pressed between still another punch 27 and punch 6 while confined indie 24 as shown in Figure 4 to bring the outer Wall of segments 19 oftube 1 into a plane substantially perpendicular to the tube wall andsuch that flange 4 forms the peripheral edge or extraction rim thereof.Pin 25 extends from punch 27 into primer cavity 26 to prevent movementof the paper into this area.

After withdrawal of tube 1 from punch 6 and die 24, the resulting headof the tube including the consolidated flange 8 is submerged for about 5minutes in a solution containing about 40 parts phenol formaldehyderesin and about 60 parts ethyl alcohol. The phenol formaldehyde resinutilized to prepare the solution is of the type which has been catalyzedwith ammonia and dehydrated. A solution thereof containing about 60parts phenol formaldehyde resin and about 40 parts ethyl alcohol has aviscosity of about 300-400 centipoises at 25 C. Durez Resin 11897manufactured by Durez Plastics and Chemicals, Incorporated, NorthTonawanda, New York is an example of a trade product having theforegoing characteristics. The thus impregnated tubes are dried at about250 F. for about fifteen minutes before pressure molding in suitableapparatus by conventional methods at about 290 F. for about 3 minutes. Aprimer assembly 28 (Figures 7 and 9) is inserted in primer pocket 26 andthe resulting cartridge case is charged with propellant 29, wads 30 andprojectiles 31 and the open end thereof is closed by folding thesidewalls of the tube 1 inwardly to form an integral end closure 32similar to that disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,582,124, as shown in Figure7.

When the tube wall is creased and folded inwardly in accordance withthis invention to form the cartridge case head, the portion of the tubewall in excess of that required to close the end of the tube is pressedinto a series of reentrant folds or box plaits which result in arelatively thick head structure and thus contribute to added strengthand rigidity. A diagrammatic view, ex panded somewhat to betterillustrate the contour assumed by the paper in forming the reentrantfolds or plaits 23 is shown in Figure 5. This view illustrates thestructure of the head near the primer pocket. The reentrant folds 23 atthat point are relatively wide resembling a box plait. At the peripheryof the cartridge case head, on the other hand, no excess tube wallexists so no plaits are formed and the width of the plaits thusdecreases from a wide box plait adjacent the primer pocket or cavity 26to a termination of the plait adjacent the periphery of the cartridge.head leaving rim 8 uncreased thus well adopted for cartridgeextraction. It is to be noted that the segments 19 extend to and formthe walls of cavity 26 thus completely enclosing the basewad within thecartridge case.

In Figure 6, as well as in Figure 5, the reentrant folds 23 and 22 areshown extending into a notch in the basewad 7, such as 35 shown inFigure 8.

In the embodiment of Figure 6 the notch or recess 35 is of sufficientdepth that the fold 22 is not appreciably flattened out like it is inthe embodiment of Figure 5. While locking the head to the basewad inthis way adds strength to the construction of the cartridge case,notches 35 can be eleminated and the preliminary folds 21 can becompressed between segments 19 and the bottom of basewad 7.

It has been found that the cartridge case provided by this invention hasmany advantages over the cartridge cases heretofore proposed. Forexample, since the car- ..tridge case head is integral with the tubewall, the danger of firing a cartridge in a gun whose barrel isobstructed by the tubular body of a previously fired cartridge iseliminated. Also, the novel head structure described above issufliciently rigid to support the priming assembly and preventdepression thereof by the guns firing pin and to prevent the attendantfailure of the priming composition to be initiated by the blow of thefiring pin. The cartridge of this invention due to its laminated headstructure is more easily extracted from the gun than the prior artcartridges molded from papier mach. The extraction rim of the cartridgeof this invention is sufficiently rigid and strong that it is notdeformed by the extraction mechanism of the gun, while the head of themolded cartridge case is frequently deformed or torn by the extractionmechanism. In addition, the cartridge provided by this invention can beproduced at a lower cost than cartridges having a metallic case ormetallic headed cartridge case. The cartridge of this invention isparticularly advantageous during an era when metals are not insufiicient supply for all types of manufactures.

While, in the foregoing embodiments, a paper tube having its variouslaminations bound together with a soya protein adhesive is utilized,pastes containing casein, starch or the like or one of the variousplastics or resinous materials such as, for example, ethyl cellulose,polyethylene, urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, melamineformaldehyde, cellulose acetate, polystyrene, a polyester or the like ormixtures thereof can be utilized as the binder. One of the foregoingresinous materials can also be utilized for impregnating the head inpreference to the phenol formaldhyde described in the foregoingembodiment, if desired. In fact, if a resinous binder is utilized informing the tube, the impregnating and setting step can, in mostinstances, be eliminated, particularly if the external surface of thetube is coated with the resinous material. Likewise, if a resinousbinder is used parafiin impregnation can usually be eliminated.Moreover, it is contemplated that a cartridge case can be formed bywinding a resinous coated, for example, polyethylene coated paper abouta mandrel, inserting a basewad therein and heating the resultingassembly under pressure in a die to bind the various laminations of thetube together and to bind the sidewalls of the basewad to the inner wallof the tube. The subsequent operations for forming the head would thenbe similar to those described in the foregoing in connection With theother embodiments.

By resinous material is meant any suitable binder, including one or moreof a paste, adhesive, plastic and natural or synthetic resin.

While a basewad provided with a cupped overlay as disclosed by Schurichtand Hindrichs in U.S. Patent 2,144,780 is illustrated in the drawing andis preferred to insure obturation, other types of basewads, such asthose wound from crepe paper or paper impregnated or coated withasphaltum or the like which provide sufiicient obturation can beutilized. The b'asewad'7 is preferably bound to the head of the:cartridge case with v a resinous material such as one chosen frorn'thegroup listed as suitable for binding the various laminations of the tubetogether. Y in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the shot gun ofpolyethylene adds rigidity to the cartridge case and forms incombination with the basewad 7 an improved se'al'against the, gasesreaching the portion of the cartridge adjacent the head thereof. Thisplastic liner may be molded and inserted into the tube and sealed to thewalls I of the tube and to the wad by the application of heat or ispreferably formed in situ. When the tube walls and head structuref areimpregnated withja resinous material, it is of courseadvantageousfitoform the liner 34 simultaneously with the impregnation. Other resinssuch as, for example, ethyl cellulose, polystyrene and the "like can beutilized in forming the liner-34. Likewise, liners which extend onlyoverthe exposed surfaces of the basewad or extend over the basewad andonly over a part of ,the 'tube wall extendingv from the basewad areadvantageous for some purposes.

Although six creases are formed in the tube wallin the foregoingembodiments, the number thereof can. be

decreased or. increased'and' the width of the resulting .plait varied asrequired. Likewise, the end of the cartridge case can be folded over theprojectile charge to 1 I form an end closure integral with the cartridgecase wall .as shown inFigure 7 or the 'endicanbe closed with l acardboard wad held in placeby a conventional roll 7 type crimp orbreakable'wad. While the segments 19;, 7 are shown in Figure 5 asabutting with each other, the V plaits maybe formed in suchmanner thatthe segments 1 do not abut as shown at 36, Figure 6and the depression:

1 therebetween can be filled with'the resinous material. 7 I Inadditionvto the foregoing modifications in the .en 1-" bodimentsdescribed herein, other variationscan be made within-the skill ofv theart without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. p fHaving thus describedthe invention, what is claimed and desireditosecure by Letters Patent is:

1 A gun cartridge case-having-a cylindrical body and V a head includingan extraction rim formed integrally from fibrous material and comprisinga tube having an annular outwardly extending fold of said tube adjacentone end forming substantially all of said rim about'the periphery of thehead and having a plurality of re-entrant folds in said tube betweensaid end and said an 2. The cartridge case of claim 1 wherein atleastthe rim, segments and re-entrant folds are impregnated with aresinous material. I

3. The process of manufacturinga gun cartridge case comprising crimpinga fibrous tube to form an external circumferentially extending flangeadjacent one end of said tube but spaced therefrom, longitudinallycreasing a portion of said tube between said end and flange at aplurality of circumferentially equally spaced portions while foldingsaid tube and portion inwardly to compress said flange and form internalreentrant folds wit-hsufiicient longitudinal extension to adapt saidfolds for securement,'said folds being joined by abutting truncatedcircular sectors, each ofsaid-folds and sectors terminating short of thecenter of said tube to form a'. primer opening and each of said sectorshaving exterior surfaces lying in a plane perpendicular to the centralaxis of said tube and flush with said compressed flange to form a rimmedfiat cartridge head structure adapted to receivea primer;-v

in said opening, and joining at least said internal folds to a basewadwithin said tube by compressingsaid folds within meshingindentationszformed in the end of said basewad for securing said endsectors against unfolding outwardly during cartridge firing. 7 p ,4. Theprocess of manufacturing a gun cartridge case 7 comprising crimping afibrous tube to form an external circumferentially extending flangeadjacent one end-of said tube but spaced therefrom,longitudinallycreasing a5 portion of said tube between said end and flange ate."plurality of circumferentially equally spaced portions of said sectorshaving exterior surfaces lying in'a plane perpendicular to the centralaxis of said tube and flush; with said compressed flange to form arimmed fiat cartridge head structure adapted to receive a primer in'saidopening, and joining at least said internal folds to means within saidtube for securing said end sectors of said head nular fold andexternally planar segments joining-said folds, said segments abuttingwith eachother "and terminating short of the center of said cylindricalbody and said folds also terminating short of said center and decuringsaid segments and folds together in head -con-. figuring relationship,said base wad abutting the inner side of "the end closure and havingindentations, said folds f meshingwith said indentations and embeddedtherein, whereby said case has a substantially rigid head structureincluding said primer and rim all resisting unfolding outwardly duringcartridge firing. I I

structure against unfolding' outwardly during cartridge" firing, saidstep of joining being accomplished by pressing the creased and inwardlyfolded end vportion ofthe tube sufiiciently into said means within saidtube to impart the external configuration of a rimmed flatcartridgeheadand,

6. The process of claim 5 wherei'n'the' laminations are I coated withresinous material and wherein the joining step is accomplished bypressing at elevated temperature a'fter impregnation with resinousmaterial.

References Cited in the file of this patent 0' UNITED STATES PATENTS,

144,011 Wood Oct. 28, 1873 222,332 Tillmes Dec. 2, 1879 1,123,976 vAuchu lan s, 1915 1,842,445 Clyne Jan.; .;2 6, 1932 2,300,368 Harmon.Qctij27, i942 FOREIGN PATENTS r 10,760 Great Britain .of 1894 914,780France -Ju1y'1, 1946

